It has been a busy period starting from being sworn in as a Councillor on April 15th then followed by the first Council meeting. There is always plenty of reading in front of you and getting a fist on the issues as to what will make our community a better place to live in, certainly keeps my brain ticking on. I congratulate all other Councillors and our Mayor in their successful election campaigns and I look forward to working with them, to continue to improve our community for you.
The next Blackall Tambo Regional Council meeting will be in Tambo on Wednesday 20th May and I will let you know whether it will be a meeting that the public can attend, due to COVID-19 restrictions still being in place.
Over the past several weeks, I have made a big effort to obtain the views of various stakeholders in Blackall and Tambo on how COVID-19 has been affecting them. The tradies appear to be busy as ever, but it is a different story if you are in the accommodation, hotel, tourism and food services.
These businesses have been hit hard with revenues down 60% plus. To survive the cash flow downturn, they had to be creative and resourceful. I know that many of us look forward to supporting these businesses when things get back to some normality. Hopefully, it may be sooner rather than later with the Prime Minister’s announcement of getting Australia back to work.
I would like to thank the IGA and SPAR Management and staff for ensuring we have had many food items to purchase during this period, not like what we have seen in the media outlets of our city cousins. I understand there have been some long hours put in by everyone and it has not gone unnoticed.
Some of our activities have been able to continue such as the Blackall Cattle Sales which have been conducted on a weekly basis. This week, the yarding was much smaller from the last couple. The sales have been conducted under strict COVID-19 conditions and it’s great to see people respecting this. As you know, the Blackall Cattle Selling Centre plays an integral part in our community. We look forward to the day when the restrictions are lifted and we can attend the sale, not to mention enjoying a coffee and or a great meal provided by the Caterers – Cecil and Kay and a yarn.
The Council workforce have been disinfecting our public areas together with our local private cleaning contractor. Thank you for keeping us safe and as healthy as possible.
The Council is providing an opportunity for organisations to apply for ‘In-Kind’ Support and Sponsorship Funding for the 2020-2021 financial year so if you are applying, please use the appropriate forms obtained from the Council’s website. The applications close on Monday, 25th May. So, if your organisation may be eligible, please ask your hard-working secretary to apply.
I do give my apologies for not getting down to the Tambo district since I have been voted onto the Council but our Queensland Premier has just announced that we will now be able to start to travel more than 50km from our residences, starting 15th May. You’ll be getting a visit from me sooner than later.
Finally, Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers. You are the ones who keep our feet firmly on the ground and for those in our community who are juggling working from home and conducting home schooling – you all deserve a medal. I am in awe of you all.
That’s a wrap for this week. Please feel free to share this article with friends or encourage them to sign-up to my mailing list on this website.
Until next week, I give my regards,
Cr David Hardie.
Note: This article is not necessarily a summary of Blackall-Tambo Regional Council business. These are my opinions and not those of the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council. Please visit www.btrc.qld.gov.au for Council information.
